Seattle Weekly‘s annual “Best of” list is back with its awards for the very best of the best in all things Seattle. While Queen Anne didn’t take home the distinction of “Best Neighborhood to Live in” (that title went to our neighbors over in Ballard), QA was recognized for a bunch of other citywide bests that call the hill home. And so, without further ado and in no particular order, here are all of Queen Anne’s bests:
Every year Queen Anne gets a number of shout outs in the ‘best of’ issue, because, well, there are just so many bests we Queen Anne-ers have to boast. Last year Queen Anne’s Easy Street Records, El Diablo Coffee, and our many secret stairways (the “Best Alternative to the Stairmaster”) were just a few of the winners. Check out last year’s wins here.
The Seattle Weekly “best of” list includes people, places, food & drink, sports & recreation and shopping & services. To see the entire list, click here.
Glenn Case has been the official Easy Street Records muralist for the past seven years, painting building-height replicas of album covers along the record shop’s outer wall, only to do it all over again ever six to nine weeks as new albums dropped.
His most recent creation–two panels for the release of Pearl Jam’s VS and Vitalogy Deluxe Expanded Edition today–took him the better part of a week to perfect. You may have spotted Case high on a ladder, chipping away at the murals outside Easy Street (and trying to beat the rain) a couple of weeks back.
If you missed Case in action, you can catch the project from start to finish (encompassing some 30 hours of work) condensed down into a one minute and 36 second time lapse video.
Case, 39, moved to Seattle after graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1996. One of the first jobs he had after arriving was working as a set designer with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, something he still does for various venues on occasion, when his schedule allows.
Though Case will be covering up his own work in a couple months’ time, he says he doesn’t mind the long hours he puts in, even for such short-term exhibitions.
“I never think in those terms, because I’m just out here until it’s done,” Case said. “It’s been a long process of doing what I do and getting recognized as an artists. This has been a great stage for me.”
Nowadays Case splits his time between churning out impeccably detailed murals for Easy Street, as well as custom-made signs and works commissioned for commercial businesses, homes, children’s murals, airplane hangers–you name it. One of his most interesting projects involved painting a bathtub to depict a lounging woman holding a martini, in the nude, in, of course, waterproof paint.
According to Case, all of his Easy Street murals are best viewed from across the street, in front of the entrance to Met Market. So if you happen to be walking by and want to check out his work, the corner of Mercer Street and 1st Ave N is the prime viewing location.
“I basically paint in a real impressionistic style,” he said. “It’s best for people at the market to see it… as you get a block away, all the dots and lines blend into something else.”
As you can imagine, between seven years of musical murals, alongside his other commissioned projects and his own work, Case has developed quite a backlog of pieces. Though doesn’t have a website, you can check out more of his work on his Facebook Page, Seattle Murals. Case also has a show of his own art at the Crepe Cafe in Ravenna, showing through the end of the month.
The Cave Singers will be performing a free, live, all ages show at their record release party at Easy Street Records tonight. The Seattle-based band’s third and latest album on Jagjaguwar, No Witch! came out today.
Curious about their tunes? Check out the video below of The Cave Singers performing on KEXP last August, or just swing by Easy Street at 20 Mercer Street to partake in the festivities.
Swing by Easy Street Records in Lower Queen Anne at 6 p.m. tonight to catch Aloe Blacc’s free, live performance.
From Easy Street:
If you’re into the classic soul stylings of Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield – and who isn’t? – then you are bound to fall all over Mr. Blacc and his sharp white suit.
Aloe Blacc will be performing songs off his new album, Good Things.
Last week’s Seattle Weekly was filled with the paper’s annual citywide “Best of” piece. And it may not be much of a surprise that more than a couple Queen Anne spots made the list. Check out the Weekly’s bests of Seattle that are located right here in the neighborhood:
Notice some Queen Anne items on the list that we missed, or want to recommend your own favorite from the neighborhood? Comment below, or email us at tips@queenanneview.com to share!
Easy Street Records is hosting a joint record release party for both Unnatural Helpers and The Lights tomorrow, Tuesday, April 27. Swing by at 6 p.m. to party with the bands as they celebrate their respective albums–the Unnatural Helpers’ Cracked Love and Other Drugs and The Lights vinyl release Failed Graves.
(As always, thanks to Easy Street for the photos).
Exene Cervenka will be doing a free, all-ages show at Easy Street Records (20 Mercer St.) at 6 p.m. tonight, Friday, April 16. Cervenka is most known as the lead vocalist in the 1970s LA-based punk rock band X.
She told Easy Street:
“The reason I am touring independent record stores from San Diego to Seattle this April is that I want to play for free, to people of all ages, at a reasonable hour, in a place we love to be. I’m touring at my own expense, because I don’t want the economy to stand between my music and people that might want to hear it. Yes, I hope I sell some aprons and a few cds, but bring your X records, the kids, shop independent, and let’s have a party! xo exene”
(As always, thanks to Easy Street for the picture!)
On the live music radar this week, John Hiatt will be doing a free, solo acoustic performance and signing at Easy Street Records on Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. Check out his new album The Open Road before the show.
(As always, thanks to Easy Street for the picture!)
The Freelance Whales, a five-piece band that got their start busking on the streets of New York City and have played eight shows at SXSW, will be doing a live performance at Easy Street Records at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 28.
Here’s what Easy Street has to say about them:
They combine unorthodox instrumentation (banjo, glockenspiel, harmonium, synths, waterphone, as well as the usual suspects) with “interlocking rhythmic patterns, lush textural layering, and an engaged group-vocal energy.”
The Dusty 45s, a group that prides itself on mixing musical styles such as “honky-tonk, jump blues, and rock and roll,” will be doing a live, all-ages and best of all free performance at Easy Street Records at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 26.
And as if that weren’t exciting enough, Easy Street is giving away free downloads of a song off their new album, Fortunate Man. Get it here.
(As always, thanks to Jesse and Easy Street Records for the picture!)
Citizen Cope will be doing a live, free performance at Easy Street Records at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 3. This will be his third in-store show as Easy Street. Citizen Cope will be in town playing a three-night run at the Showbox Market from April 1-3. Get ticket information here. Check out Citizen Cope’s new album, The Rainwater LP, here.
(Thanks to Jesse & Easy Street Records for the picture!)
For those of you who like free, all-ages, music, Easy Street Records is back with their first live show at the Queen Anne store in the new year! Ballard’s own Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers will be kicking of “an evening filled with twangy weepers and authentic country goodness” at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, January 29. Details here.
(As always, thanks to Jesse at Easy Street Records for the photo).
Seattle based singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is doing a free, all-ages show at Easy Street Records tonight. And Brandi’s rock, pop, country, folky, alternative tunes are definitely a great treat to start off the weekend. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Thanks to Jesse and Easy Street Records for the image.
The Redwood Plan will be showing off their two new EPs – Movers, Shakers, Makers and The Redwood Plan EP – at a free all-ages show tomorrow, Friday, October 29 at Easy Street Records. The show starts at 7 p.m., so don’t be late!
As always, thanks to Jesse and Easy Street Records for the picture.
Chicago-hailing rock band Pelican will be doing a live, free, all-ages show at the Queen Anne Easy Street Records on Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m., playing songs off their upcoming album What We All Come to Need.
As always, thanks to Jesse and Easy Street Records for the picture!
Future of the Left will be performing at Easy Street tonight for a “knock-down, drag-out rock and roll brawl,” according to the Queen Anne record store. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Originally from Cardiff in the U.K., the Left is touring around the States this month before continuing their world tour mid-November.
(As always, thanks to Jesse and Easy Street Records for the photo).
See ratings and reviews of
The Cave Singers
Easy Street Records
On the live music radar this week, 
The Dusty 45s
For those of you who like free, all-ages, music, 
Future of the Left